44:14
1942-1946 Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk

A collection of films shot by members of the 100th Bomb Group in World War II.

Genre:

The first sequence is shot at the American Headquarters of the 100th Bomb Group. Colour scenes show the airmen on parade and around their camp. Huts are well built of breeze blocks. Some men are in uniform, some in maintenance overalls and some are in flying gear. There are evening shots of the countryside and then shots taken from a railway as it runs alongside a river. There are shots of the men on the rifle range and then shots of a town. A black and white sequence shows their embarkation. The remaining scenes, apart from a brief shot at the end, record their stay in Thorpe Abbots, near Scole in Norfolk.

There are also scenes of their flying missions, including shots of Europe. There are scenes of the men around the camp. Throughout the film these scenes remind one that when air crews arrived at camp, they often had to build it first. Huts, such as there are, are Nissan huts made of corrugated iron. A brief shot of a horse and cart is indicative of the film maker's desire to record things that must have appeared typically English. Later there are scenes of a football match. There is a black and white sequence showing parade and the raising of the stars and stripes. A colour scene shows maintenance being carried out on the aeroplanes. This is a frequent subject of the film. The film maker seeks to show everyday life around camp as well as 'events'. He shows the men engaged in target practice, taking off and landing aeroplanes. Long sequences show aeroplanes in flight and scenes of the countryside from the air. A brief black and white sequence shows casualties in hospital. A colour sequence shows scenes from a moving car along a country lane. There are scenes of bomb damage that had occurred in Norwich. At first view the city is barely recognisable. City Hall rises over the wreckage. There is a shot of Greens of Orford Place and also of the West Door of Norwich Cathedral. A barrage balloon flies over the city.

On the Broads, airmen swim with local girls. There are shots of a country house, built in 1676. The family emerge from the door, Outside a young girl fusses her cat. There are scenes of London and another town. There are also scenes of a port with warships and another that appears to be a converted liner. The film maker offers a long sequence of close-up shots of the wild flowers in the English countryside. There are many shots of the sky and sunset. At the camp, there are interior scenes showing the stores and work rooms. Men are shown developing photographs and printing.

One of the flying sequences shows a pilot in the cockpit. A bomb is dropped from the plane and lands on a target below. Another sequence shows the aeroplanes dropping parachutes. Another long sequence films the control panel. The airmen show machine gun damage to the tailpiece of one of their aeroplanes.

The flight scenes that follow at the end of the film maybe of the European continent. They do not appear to be English. Field patterns are wrong and the shapes of the houses don't look English. An aeroplane drops bombs which fall to ground and explode on landing. Damage to fields, towns and industrial conurbations is visible. There is a shot of a bridge destroyed. There are shots of a bombed city that may not be English. The end of the film shows the 100th Bomb Group at sea again. The Welcome Home signs appear as they approach the American shore.

Background Information:

The Church that features in this film is that at Sco Ruston.

Notes:

The Archive has removed four minutes from this film (for online publication) that might have caused distress. The full film is Cat 963.

Featured Organisations:

USAAF

Featured Events:

World War II

Featured Buildings:

Norwich Cathedral; City Hall, Norwich

Maker: John Schwarz

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